A little history, an amazing man & his family

[Cally]

In 2016 I was invited to give a talk to a group of students at the prestigious English School in Nicosia. I took the opportunity to ask the students if they knew who Mehmet Aziz was. Not surprisingly, not one single student knew who he was. When I expressed my dismay, a Greek Cypriot student remarked, "They don't teach us about people like that at school." I went on to explain that Mehmet Aziz was the man responsible for eradicating Malaria in Cyprus. At the end of my talk I was thanked by many students for teaching them something new about their country. One student even joked that a Greek Cypriot from Australia (referring to me of course) may actually know more about Cyprus than they did.
Sadly, I have come to realise that there is a lot of stuff that 'history' teachers in Cyprus do not teach their students. As many of you know Tales of Cyprus is on a mission of enlightenment to hopefully 'shed more light' on topics that highlight our recent history, focusing mainly on the first half of the twentieth century. In my own small way, I am hoping to promote and present as many ‘unsung Cypriot heroes’ and ‘untold stories’ as possible. For me Mehmet Aziz is at the top of the list. (Please note: I regard people who have improved the life of others through peaceful means as heroes).

I myself only discovered Mehmet Aziz (1893-1991) two years ago after I started reading the book ‘Sweet and Bitter Island’ written by Tabitha Morgan. Previously, I had no idea that Mehmet Aziz was the man responsible for eradicating Malaria in Cyprus.

When I started to investigate his extraordinary story at the beginning of 2016, I was shocked to discover that there is almost nothing written about him. Not even a book. In fact, I struggled to find even a photo of the man beyond a very low-quality digital newspaper photo. Sadder still, there appears to be no monument or memorial in Cyprus to honour his incredible and lasting legacy. It would appear that Mehmet Aziz is just another forgotten and unsung Cypriot hero, at least that seems to be the case in the South of the island.

SO WHO WAS MEHMET AZIZ?

As mentioned above, Mehmet Aziz is credited for eradicating the Malaria disease in Cyprus. Nicknamed ‘The Fly Man’ by those who knew him, he was appointed as the Chief Health Inspector for the British Colonial Government of Cyprus during the 1930s and 1940s.

He was born in the village of Kalo Chorio (Greek: Καλό Χωριό, Turkish: Vuda) located in the Larnaca District on the 24 September 1893.

Mehmet was the youngest of six children born to Aziz Hasan and Repke Emir. His siblings were Osman, Ahmet, Mustafali, Hayrettin and Leyli. Not a lot is known about his parents (or siblings) only to say that I am told that his ancestors may have migrated to Cyprus from the island of Crete and Subaşı in Anatolia over a hundred and fifty years ago.

After graduating from his village primary school in Kalo Chorio (Vuda), Mehmet Aziz attended Ruştiye (a secondary school of that era) and later the American Academy in Larnaca.

In 1907, (aged fourteen) Mehmet travelled abroad to America with his older brother Hayrettin apparently to study in Connecticut. Not much is known about this trip. I am told that Hayrettin went to America to work on the construction of the Panama Channel. I am also told that Mehmet Aziz was quite industrious even as a teenager in a foreign country. Apparently, he would rise at daybreak every day to sell American newspapers on the street and then go off to work at the Holmes and Edwards Silver Company in the afternoon before attending classes in the evenings. Somehow, he even found time to learn how to play basketball. He was fast becoming a fluent speaker of Turkish, Greek and English.

In 1912, for some unknown reason, Mehmet and his brother Hayrettin decided to return to Cyprus. Unfortunately, when their ship docked in the port of Alexandria their money and travelling documents were stolen. Stranded in Egypt they eventually found work in a confectionery shop and earned enough money to pay for their passage and fare on another ship. The brothers decided to separate (for unknown reasons). Hayrettin travelled to Turkey while Mehmet returned back to Cyprus. I am told that Hayrettin first went to İzmir and then later to İstanbul where he got married and worked as translator for an insurance agency. He had a daughter and a son. I am also told that he passed away in 1968 and is buried in Feriköy Cemetery in Istanbul. Apparently, the words: 'Cypriot Hayrettin Aziz' are inscribed on his gravestone.

Life for Mehmet Aziz changed forever when he was twenty-one years old. In 1914, a famous English scientist, Sir Ronald Ross, came to Kalo Chorio seeking to employ English-speaking locals to help him investigate the extent of diseases such as Malaria on the island. Ross was awarded a Nobel Prize in 1902 for discovering that the Anopheles mosquito was the cause of Malaria. He had spent a month in 1914 travelling around Cyprus measuring the spleen rate of the children infected by Malaria to determine the prevalence of the disease. He concluded that the spleen-rate in Cyprus averages 21 per cent, which was quite high for a European country. Ross knew that a warm puddle of still water was the ideal breeding ground for the mosquito larvae carrying the Malaria parasite. His report later that year implored the government and the villagers to do more to ensure that these breeding areas did not exist.

Aziz jumped at the chance to work alongside Ross and in doing so, he received the education that would launch his career. Ross was said to be ecstatic to work with someone as willing and ambitious as Mehmet Aziz who was so fluent in English, Turkish and Greek.

In 1916, Mehmet met and married Hıfsiye. She was the daughter of Hafız Mustafa, a famous tailor from the village of Nisou (Greek: Νήσου, Turkish: Dizdarköy). Mehmet and Hıfsiye had three children: a son Baber, and two daughters Türkan and Kamran. It is thanks to Kamran’s diary that we know something about her father.

Mehmet Aziz is often credited as the originator of the idea and the methodology to eradicate malaria in Cyprus, having studied similar attempts to control the disease in Egypt. He received Government funding to put together a team of experts called the ‘Expert Committee on Malaria’ and within three years: 1946, 1947 and 1948, he was able to coordinate the successful eradication of Malaria in Cyprus.

Aziz often talked about the dedication and the hard work of his team. It was a difficult and at times, a hazardous job. His team of Cypriot Health Inspectors were: Ali Tevfik (responsible across Cyprus), Stelios M Sotiriu (responsible for Larnaca), Zenon Panayi Eliadis (responsible across Cyprus), Mihalis Tomazou (responsible for Paphos), Elefthorius Hristofidis (Karpazia) and Kostas Yiorgiu Fisher (responsible for Kyrenia).

Apart from eradicating Malaria in Cyprus, Aziz achieved some other remarkable feats. Between 1929 and 1948 he visited villages all over Cyprus and ran health education and information sessions for the villagers, showing slides and posters on typhoid, tuberculosis, echinococcosis, and trachoma. He educated the local women on dietary issues and health.

He discovered that ‘Leshmanianis syndrome disease’ was spread by a minutely small fly called Tartarian. In 1955, the fly was renamed Flepotoma Antonata Aziz in recognition of his discovery.

Mehmet Aziz was also responsible for all the health inspections, treatment and settlement of the war refugees who arrived on the island between the two world wars and later. He dealt primarily in treating and stopping the spread of tuberculosis, typhus, echinococcosis and trachoma. He helped to organise 'awareness' campaigns in villages in order to improve the health of mothers and babies including the introduction of vaccinations and education to help improve various dietary issues. His program also includes strict quarantine procedures for all visiting boats and vessels to Cyprus. The system that Mehmet Aziz developed back then is still in use today.

In 1950, Aziz became a professor of ‘Health and Well Being’ at Beirut University where he educated students from various countries like Bahrain, Bangladesh, Sudan, Egypt and Arabia. He visited alumni in their own country of origin to help them set up appropriate health services like the ones in Cyprus. While he was in these different countries Aziz continued his research into various health issues and became a consultant to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

He returned to Cyprus in 1959 and was appointed to the Cyprus Health Commission one year later when the Cyprus Republic was inaugurated. From 1963 until 1974 he was the Chief Officer for the Cypriot Turkish Health Services Commissıon.

Aziz was awarded an MBE in 1936 and a CBE in 1946. He also received the British Empire Medallion and the Ross İnstitute Award in recognition of his extraordinary work and achievements as the Chief Health Inspector in Cyprus. He was an Associate member of the Order of St John, the Red Cross and the Royal Society of Health.

Mehmet Aziz went on to publish and distribute various articles and booklets outlining 'the prevention of disease' throughout his working life. His own success in eradicating and preventing many diseases in Cyprus was published around the world in newspapers such as the Times and Daily Telegraph in London and the Communist Workers Chronicle in Moscow. The articles all described Mehmet Aziz as the ‘Great Saviour of Cyprus’. BBC broadcasts at the time also told the story of this one man’s crusade to eradicate Malaria in Cyprus. In fact, Cyprus was one of first countries in the world to be regarded as Malaria-free.

According to the American Medical Association, Aziz was widely honoured for his achievement in Cyprus and called 'the great liberator.’ He was likened to St. Patrick for ridding his native land of a pest that was far more insidious than the snakes. Aziz himself was quoted by the same journal as saying; "I was brought up in a village where sanitary conditions were very bad. Many young people died who probably would have lived had conditions been better. If in the course of my service I have done something for the improvement and welfare of my country, then that is my greatest pleasure."

Mehmet Aziz died in Nicosia in 1991. Strangely, none of his children ever married. His son (Baber) worked as a technician at the Veterinary Department in Nicosia for many years and died sometime in the 1980s.

Türkan Aziz (born in 1917) is now one hundred years of age. In her early twenties, Türkan went to England to study medicine during the Second World War. When she returned to Cyprus after the war, she successfully worked her way up through the male-dominated medical ranks until she became the Chief Matron of the Nicosia General Hospital. She is also credited for writing a very poignant and personal memoir titled "The death of friendship: which was published in English in July 2000. Türkan still lives in the original Aziz family home which is located on the Green Line in Nicosia.

Kamran Aziz was a trail blazer like her father. She was one of the first female pharmacists in Cyprus. In 1947 she opened her pharmacy, (the Aziz Pharmacy) in Nicosia. Kamran was also the first female composer in Turkish Cypriot society. She graduated from the London School of Music and the American School of Music and went on to make a significant contribution to Turkish Cypriot folk music. Her music career started in the 1950s when she formed the island’s first pop music band, “Kamran Aziz and friends. In fact, she was also one of the first female musicians to play in public and pioneered the playing and teaching of western music, along with her colleague, Jale Derviş. She is credited to have composed over fifty original songs including popular tunes such as 'My Cyprus', 'What happened to you my Cyprus?' and 'Bride is coming'. Kamran Aziz passed away earlier this year (March, 2017) at the age of ninety-five.

On behalf of all Cypriots both in Cyprus and abroad, I would like to say ‘thank you’ to Mehmet Aziz for his extraordinary work that has ultimately improved the health of so many people in Cyprus and saved countless lives. Mehmet Aziz Bey – we salute you.

FOOTNOTE:
I would like to acknowledge and thank Mr Sermen Erdogan for helping to translate an article about Mehmet Aziz written and published by Mr Ahmet Djavit An in his book, 'The Values Cyprus Cultivated'.

I would also like to thank Mr Mehmet Barışsever for his wonderful support over the last twelve months to help me write a more accurate and authentic tribute to Mr Aziz. Mr Barışsever is planning to publish a book about Mehmet Aziz in the coming year.

There is still so much to learn about Mehmet Aziz and his family.

Once again I would like to ask YOU and my wonderful Facebook audience to contribute any facts they may now about this family. I would especially love to hear from anyone who knew Mehmet Aziz, his wife Hıfsiye, his son Baber or his daughters Türkan and Kamran.

[pc4854]

How wonderful to read about a man who put something back into his country instead of taking ever thing out. Thankyou for agreat read.

[Ragged Robin]

Thank you Cally for that fascinating post and addition to my knowlege of Cyprus history.

I am particularly interested because in 1963 I spent half a day in Kalo Chorio visiting a friend who had a"holiday cottage" there. Sadly my memories have faded, but I particularly remember the friendly welcome of the villages and the "Papa". On the way home we met villages returning by d onkey from their labours in the fields with bales of hay strapped to the donkeys. How life has changed in the Island!

I have some photos but they are in colour slides which was all the rage those days. How life has changed/! If you are interested and if anyone can mend myold fashioned projector or lend me a viewer AND /or get them onto computer you are welcome to see and copy them.

PS I thought "Kalo"" was prounounced "Ghalo" in Cyprus!!!!?

[Brazen]

Extremely interesting article, many thanks!

[Laura B]

Yes very interesting. Many thanks.

[artic monkey]

A fascinating and uplifting story Cally about a true man of the people who put the welfare and wellbeing of his fellow humans before all else.Your statement about regarding this man and others like him as true heroes is spot on.Rather people like him than those who put on a uniform and are sent to some foreign country where they have no business by devious politicians who should know better.We need more stories like this rather than the increasing clamour for glorification of all things militaristic.

[Cally]

None of this was mine artic monkey, I copied it from a fb post by someone I know & found it fascinating. I would love to know what his only son Baber would of achieved through the veterinary environment he worked in if he hadn't died so young........ such achievers all of his children

[sophie]

It is so sad that schools teach so little of their own island, whether it be archaeology, music, literature, biology, flora and fauna, people (other than the obvious) I acknowledge modern history, music,, literature (if you are lucky) is taught, but very little of their past. As generations go by it lessens each time. If they are not careful there will soon be a generation that is only aware of the present, the NOW!!!

[dippersgirl]

If you use facebook this and many other interesting stories are on the page called 'Tales of Cyprus'. I always read all his articles, all so interesting

[Cally]

Thanks for the heads up Dippersgirl, I do & most certainly will

[artic monkey]

Sophie,there is an old saying;"History is written by the winner".Whether that be a skewed,one sided version of past events,or a deliberate omission of certain incidents,happenings or complete periods of history it is by and large true in many cases until new and enlightened research uncovers the unbiased narrative.
Cally,i realize that you are reporting on the findings of others in your article but i for one am no less appreciative or informed because of that and thank you for bringing the story to us:i refer though to the first paragraph,which i take as your personal introduction,and in particular to the final line referencing people like Mr.Aziz as heroes,as your personal opinion.It is this line that i wholeheartedly concur with.

[justsayin]

Really enjoyed reading this. Thank you.
History keeps us grounded. We are the people that we are because of our ancestors - their amazing skills and determination.

[Cally]

You might enjoy this also justsayin.......

http://www.kibkomnorthcyprusforum.com/v ... =8&t=40228

[justsayin]

Thanku. Cally. I will look